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UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE.

CHARLES 1?. rest, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To GEORGE P. FABMER, or Ew YORK, N. Y.

COMPOUND FOR AND PROCESS OF DYEING MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND OTHER MATERIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,378, dated April 24,, 1883.

Application filed November 20, 1882. (N specimens.) I

Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Compound for and Process of Dyeing Mother-of-Pearl, 650.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement in staining mother-of-pearl and other material; and the invention consists in a fluid compound of the spirits of ammonia, nitrate of silver, and sugar, honey, or other transparent, translucent, or semi-transparent and sticky vehicle; and the invention also con sists in the process hereinafter described for staining motherof-pearl.

As is well known, it is common to stain or dye the surface of mother-of-pearl with a mixture of sp rite of ammonia and nitrate of silver, and the various aniline colors have also been employed for this purpose; but, owing to the density and smoothness of the surface of the pearl, it has always been diflicult, if not impossible, to trace with these mixtures or colors a design with any degree of accuracy or delicacy, for the reason that the fluid used would invariably flowltoo freely on the surface of the mother-ofi-pearl and spread into blotches, destroying the outlines of the figures that were being traced upon it. Hence it has been customary to stain the-entire surface of the mother-of-pearl a uniform color, and afterward with proper instruments remove by cutting or grinding all of the stain excepting that portion which represented the design that was to ornament the surface. This process, as is obvious, was expensive and unsatisfactory. Therefore, to reduce the expense and produce a better result, I, incorporate with the fluid mixture of nitrate of silver and the spirits of ammonia sufficient sugar, honey, or other like sticky substance to bring the'compouud to about the consistence of a thin varnish, and with the vehicle in this way formed, and a stylus of wood or any suitable material, or a camels-hair pencil charged with it, trace on the surface of the mother-of-pearl the desired figure or ornament, when, upon exposure to light or the suns rays, the surface of the mother-of pearl is indelibly stained by the chemical action of the nitrate in the compoundinduced by the light. The vehicle, being transparent or translucent, permits the light to penetrate it and fix the design as stated. The staining is due solely to the nitrate of silver and light. The oftice of the ammonia is to enable the nitrate to enter to some extent into the substance of the mother-of-pearl, and the purpose of the sugar is to thicken with an adhesive substance the other two ingredients, which heretofore have been found too fluid to answer the purpose. When. the mother-ofpearl has become sufticien tly stained the mixture is wiped therefrom and the operation is completed, excepting when it may be desired tolight up some parts of the design. This may be done by an engraving-instrument, which will cut away the stained portions, allowing the mother-of-pearl surface to be exposed.

Instead of sugar, honey or some other like sticky substance may be employed; but I have found sugar, by reason of its adhesive quality, to answer the purpose, and fully prevent the compound t'rom running or spreading beyond the limits of the design. To the compound hereinbet'ore described of nitrate of silver, spirits of ammonia, sugar, or other adhesive substance, it is obvious that aniline or I any suitable pigment may be added to vary the tint of the dye.

Having now described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The staining compound herein described, the same containing nitrate of silver, spirits of ammonia, and sugar or like sticky substance.

2. The process of staining pearl, the same consisting in placing the design thereupon in a com pound containing nitrate ofsilver, spirits of ammonia, and sugar or like sticky substance, then exposing the same to light, whereby the design is fixed, and finally removing the compound and finishing, substantially as described. I

CHARLES P. FEST.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH BOUGHER, J AMEs E. KELLY. 

